Michigan hardware store rebuilds green after devastating fire

Mix Hardware, a 53-year-old hardware store in Battle Creek, Mich., that burned down Feb. 19, is being rebuilt and is expected to open around Thanksgiving. Only this time, the building will be “green.”

The $400,000 project has the following green components: environmentally friendly glues; walls that contain a mixture of recycled organic fiber that will help the building cool and heat more efficiently; and a light colored roof that will reflect sunlight, rather than absorb it.

The new building will be 5,800 square feet—2,400 square feet larger than the old one—and will have one level instead of two.